The Roommate
by Cadet Jeevas
Summary: When Laurie's college roommate, Claire, joins the family for Thanksgiving, she meets not only Laurie's family, however also her brother's friends. While she thinks of them as complete idiots, she can't help but be drawn to them in more ways than one and, behind her roommate's back, befriends them.
1. Chapter 1

"Laurie, you really don't have to," I insisted. "I mean, Kate–"

" _Kate_ has a family to go home to," Laurie interrupted, closing her half packed suitcase and looking me in the eyes. "You don't, unless you want to go home to your drunken aunt, of course. I mean, my family isn't great, but I'm not leaving you on campus to get creeped on by Johnny McEntire for a whole weekend."

"Hey, it's a good thing I learned karate in middle school! I think it makes him afraid of me." We both laughed. After I regained my composure, I looked at her and said, "Thank you."

"Duh," She chuckled. "And anyways, Kate's a whore. _I'm_ the whore. And, you're pretty and all, but we both know that when I want someone, there's no competition."

I didn't take offense to that. There was no need. I enjoyed the banter Laurie and I had; she was a really good friend. I hadn't known her too long since we had become roommates in September, but she wasn't who everyone on campus made her out to be. Sure, she was manipulative and snarky, but what teenage girl isn't? And, I hated to admit it, but I needed someone like her in my life. I was usually the loud one amongst a group of insecurity, so it was nice to be able to relate to someone for once.

"Well, you always go for the pretty boys anyways!" I huffed. "They're so dull and half of them aren't out of the closet yet."

"But they sure are good in bed," She gave me a grin and continued packing her clothes.

The last few days of classes wrapped up and soon enough, we were on a bus headed to a little town in the middle of nowhere called Point Place. Laurie told me that it was pretty boring where she lived but at least they had a drive in and two cool restaurants; she also told me how she was disappointed because the closest mall was an hour drive. I didn't really care. I was a pretty simple person – although, the drive in sounded cool. Surprisingly, I'd never been to one. I almost went to one with my mom when she was still alive, but all the boys who ever asked me out only wanted one thing and I decided it would be better to skip pointless dates and just get down to business. And, to put it bluntly, I don't really care if you want to judge me for that because why would anyone want to actually feel a connection for someone just to engage in casual sex? That being said, I didn't do it often – at least, not since junior year.

"Oh, I have to warn you, my brother has really annoying friends who hang around the house for some reason," Laurie said. I lowered my book to listen to her. "Just try to avoid the basement unless you want to be plagued by imbeciles."

I chuckled, "I don't know, it might be fun. I mean, my brother's kind of a dumbass, so I'm used to it."

She shrugged and picked her magazine up, "Don't say I didn't warn you, Claire."

I handed Laurie her suitcase from the overhead before reaching up to get mine. I could already feel how cold it was although I enjoyed the cold so while Laurie bundled herself up, I just laughed to myself. I'd been raised in Colorado where the winter nights froze over and the mornings brought with it a graceful sun. It never really got warm where I lived but it was temperate enough most days – nonetheless, I think living there gave me a thicker skin for the cold.

"Mommy, Daddy, this is Claire," Laurie's voice went falsetto as she threw her bag to the ground and rushed to hug her parents.

I didn't say anything, opting to smile instead. Strangers didn't intimidate me, but adults did.

Her parents ran off to the car, Laurie in tow, leaving her luggage behind. I was left with her younger brother.

"You're Eric, I guess?"

"Yeah," He said, picking up Laurie's abandoned suitcase.

"I mean, you look like a nerd, but you're probably not as nerdy as my brother. I think we'll get along just fine."

He gave an awkward chuckle and said, "Yeah, well, I mean, you look like a slut, but you're probably not as slutty as my sister, so I'm sure it'll be cool."

I laughed.

"Oh, Eric, we are going to get along great. Let's catch up with the others, it's starting to get chilly."

After a fifteen minute drive, we arrived at the Forman residence. It was a cute home, I had to admit. I wasn't used to small towns – I'd grown up in the city.

"Eric, help Claire get her stuff to your room," Mr. Forman said, as we unloaded the car.

"Oh, I really don't mind sleeping in the basement," I smiled.

Mrs. Forman laughed, "Oh, don't be silly – the mattress in the basement is at least ten years old. Eric's is only a few years."

"I really don't mind."

"Trying to convince them otherwise will do you no good," Laurie said in my ear. "And anyways, my room's right next door and we can just gossip all night. Or, there's a tree outside Eric's window that we can climb–"

"Laurie, can you come help me?" Her father asked, interrupting us.

"Yes, daddy," She perked up and rushed over to aid him.

"Okay, Eric, let's see the nerd cave," I said, taking my bag from him.

"Follow me, m'lady," He did some nerdy bow.

He definitely reminded me of my brother. It made me miss Cooper. He's a good kid. I hadn't seen him since my dad took him away and moved to New York when I was fifteen. Coop was twelve at the time, which means he'd be around sixteen now. Damn, time flies…

"Oh, cut the crap," I laughed. Laurie must've heard this too because I heard a loud " _Ha_!" from the driveway as we made our way into the kitchen.

Before we could make it into the living room, two people came barging up from the downstairs basement, bickering at one another.

"No, _Michael_ , you're being stupid," A brunette girl said to who I assumed to be her idiotic looking boyfriend.

"Oh, come on, Jackie!" His attention was redirected when he saw me and Eric. "Oh, hey, Eric, who's your friend?"

"Laurie's roommate," Eric said.

I smirked, "Nice to meet you, I'm Claire."

Before he could say anything else, two more teenagers hustled up the steps. One had on a pair of shades whilst the other looked foreign.

"Oh, hello, pretty lady," The obviously foreign one said, pushing the one called Michael out of the way. "I am Fez."

"What the fuck kind of name is that?" I asked. This earned a chuckle from Sunglasses and Michael.

"In my country, it means 'Sexy'," He said.

"Kay, well, in my country, I don't care," I said.

Eric sighed, "Okay, guys this is Claire. Laurie's friend from college. Claire, this is Jackie, Kelso, Fez, and Hyde. Now, guys you can't be here or my dad'll throw a fit. Come back later."

They all groaned and pouted before trudging back down the steps. The only one who went out the kitchen door was Jackie.

"Some interesting friends you've got," I said as we made our way into his room.

"Yeah, they're okay," He shrugged. "But you'll love Donna – if you stay long enough to meet her. She's so awesome and beautiful."

"Ooh, nerdy boy's got a girl," I squealed. "Well, I owe time to Laurie to help her unpack but maybe tonight I'll stop by the basement if she's here."

"Oh, she'll be here. We're going to The Hub later, but we should be back by eight."

"Sounds good," I said. He left, which gave me time to make fun of his room. The only thing that appealed to me was all the Star Wars décor – Coop loved Star Wars and would always make me watch the movies with him. But, Eric even had some of the comics.

While I was waiting for Laurie, I picked one up to read. It was going to be an interesting weekend to say the least. Way better than sitting alone in a dorm.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sorry it took me so long, my dad was–" She stopped at the door, a smirk threatening to escape her lips. "Is that one of Eric's nerd books?"

I put it down on the bed and sat up, "Yeah, it's stupid."

I guessed she could tell by the look on my face what I was thinking of.

"Why don't you call him, Claire?"

"Because I haven't seen him in years," I insisted, standing up. "He probably thinks I abandoned him when mom died. My dad hates me anyways."

"Your father literally took him away and left you with your aunt and uncle," She sighed. "I think you should at least look through a phone book and try to reach out. That's all I'm saying. It might help."

"You're right. Maybe I will."

"There's a phone book under the table in the living room," She shrugged. "Nobody will notice if you take it tonight."

"Thanks," I looked at the floor. Thanking people wasn't really my thing and every time I did it I felt uncomfortable for some reason.

"Of course, now give me a hug!" She spread her arms open, her voice going into falsetto.

My eyes widened and I dodged. She laughed.

"Okay, now come help me unpack, you nerd," She said, walking down the hall.

"Coming, whore," I called as I set Eric's comic back on the shelf.

"That's _Mrs_. Whore to you."

"I didn't know there was a Mr.! What a lucky guy," I laughed. I could hear a cackle from down the hall as I closed Eric's door.

Dinner was held in the kitchen at the small four person table since Eric was out with his friends. After Mrs. Forman called us all down, she scurried to serve what appeared to be vegetable soup, some rolls, chicken, and potatoes. It looked heavenly. Even when my mom was around, she wasn't much of a chef. Usually we would do a takeaway or, once Coop and I were old enough, we'd cook simple things. Cereal was a staple in the house, same with sandwiches. But, we never complained. Only dad complained. But, that's what he always did. Sometimes, I wondered if he was the reason mom had a heart attack at such an early age…

"Oh wow, Mrs. Forman, this is amazing," I smiled after taking a bite of the soup.

"I'm glad _someone_ likes my cooking," She did what was her signature laugh. It seemed like it would be obnoxious to someone like Laurie but I found it endearing.

"Laurie, you like your mother's cooking, right?" Mr. Forman asked.

"Yes, daddy," She perked up.

"Good," He said. "Oh, and here's a twenty in case you and Claire want to get out of the house sometime this weekend. I know being around your brother and his friends is annoying."

"Thank you, daddy," She pocketed the cash.

I could see the game she was playing at. While I wouldn't do it myself, I didn't disapprove. Manipulation was the key to Laurie getting through life and damn she was playing her cards excellent.

The remainder of dinner finished without much interruption, the occasional school inquiries, and talks of the following day – Thanksgiving – etcetera. I wondered how I would be able to meet Eric's friends without Laurie finding out. Maybe I'd tell her I had stuff to do and would come talk to her at midnight. I'd figure it out. I was good at that.

Towards the end of dinner, I found my easy escape. Mrs. Forman had just gotten off the phone with her employer.

"Laurie, I was just called in for a surgery, do you mind doing the laundry for me? It's in a basket by the door."

Laurie grimaced. Before she could look like a jerk, I whispered, "I'll do it."

"Yes, of course, mom!" She beamed and grinned my way.

Not long after, I was helping Laurie clear the table. Mr. Forman seemed to have retired for the night and Mrs. Forman left for work.

"You are honestly such a life saver," She said, scrubbing the dishes.

"Oh, why's that?" I asked, drying the clean ones and putting them away.

"I have a date tonight," She said.

"Damn, girl, you work fast," I chuckled.

"Well, anything to not deal with being in this house," She said. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Laurie, I have a brother. I know how idiots are. And besides, Eric told me about his little girlfriend and I feel like she will actually be tolerable to talk to if I get lonely."

"Oh, Donna?" She asked. "I don't know how my brother scored a girl like her. She's actually cool."

Once the dishes were done and the table was set, Laurie made sure that her father wouldn't be coming out of his room for the night and left. I looked at the clock. It was quarter till eight. I picked up the basket and walked down the stairs to the basement to find it empty. About twenty minutes after putting the clothes in the wash – I was sitting on top of the dryer reading a book I'd brought from school – the basement door busted open; Kelso, Jackie, Fez, and Hyde entering. The first one who seemed to notice me was Kelso.

"Oh, _hey_ , Claire," His voice was slightly lower in pitch than when I'd heard him talking to his girlfriend earlier. He made his way over to where I was sitting and leaned on the washer. "Fancy meeting you here. Couldn't resist my charm, eh? It's okay. If I was a woman–"

" _Michael_!" Jackie exclaimed and grabbed his arm, pulling him onto the sofa with her.

"What? She's _hot_ ," He motioned towards me. I lowered my book and grimaced.

Jackie made a shrieking noise, huffed, and walked right back out from where she came from. I felt bad for the girl. She seemed annoying but damn she deserved better than a dumbass.

"Hey, Eric," I smiled as I saw him and a redheaded girl weave their way past an upset Jackie.

"Hey, Claire," He said. "This is Donna."

"Oh, hi Donna!" I jumped off the dryer and made my way over to her. "It's nice to meet you. Eric's told me _sooo_ much."

Eric's face paled. The guys snickered.

"I'm just fucking with you," I grinned. "He said you were pretty cool, though."

"That's cool," She nodded her head. "So, you're Laurie's friend, right?"

"Yep," I said, making my way back to my seat on the dryer.

"How's that treating you?" Hyde asked; it was the first time I'd heard him speak. I took him as 'too high to talk' based on his demeanor, so it shocked me.

"Not bad most days," I shrugged.

He laughed quietly.

"What?" I insisted.

"Well, if you don't hate her, you must be like her," He stated. It had an underlying tone of disgust and pissed me off.

"Dude, she's not as bad as you think. Sure, she's kind of a manipulative bitch sometimes, but when it's just the girls, she's really fucking chill, so lay off, _hippie_."

"Hippie? Who are you calling a hippie?" He stood up out of his chair to face me.

I slid off the dryer and stood face to face with him, grinning. I was a decent few inches shorter than him and it annoyed me because I preferred to feel intimidating. "Obviously you. We don't see anyone else too stoned out of their mind to take their sunglasses off inside."

I had to admit, I was more amused than anything; sure, annoyed, but I loved messing with people.

What he did next actually took me by surprise. He took off his sunglasses. But, that wasn't what shocked me; what shocked me were his eyes. Yeah, they were beautiful, but there was a tired look to them; he was a teenager and yet the pain in his eyes was intense. My smile fell. After a few seconds, we were snapped out of our stare.

"Um, guys?" Donna said.

He shook his head, put his sunglasses back on, and grumbled his way back to his chair. Thankfully, the washer stopped and I was able to move the clothes to the dryer.

"Um, Eric, can you put these in the basket when the dryer goes off?" I asked. "Laurie was supposed to do it but is out on a date and your mom won't be home from the hospital for another hour."

"Why would you help Laurie?" He asked.

I shrugged, "I felt like doing her a favor. She had a date and there wasn't much else to do."

"Laurie should be on a date with _me_!" Kelso said proudly.

"What about Jackie, man?" Hyde asked.

"Oh, I'm so breaking up with her," He insisted.

"Sure you are, hot stuff," I laughed. "I see the way you dote after her. You're whipped."

"Oh, so whipped, whore," Fez giggled.

"Anyways, I have people to call, so thanks, Eric?" I hoped he would help me out.

"Of course," He smiled. He was a good kid. It was a shame that Laurie didn't like him.

I smiled back at him and made my way up the stairs. _Time to find my dad in the phone book_. I shuddered at the thought.


	3. Chapter 3

I found the phone book where Laurie said and made my way upstairs. I didn't know if I could do it. I was secretly hoping I wouldn't even find his name, but I had to for Coop. I was hoping Laurie would get home soon. I started by looking for the NY section, then narrowed it down to the letter W for Winslow. There were several Winslows before I hit one who I believed to be my father. The only Rodrick Winslow in the book who resided in NY – it surprised me. I thought it would be harder.

I wrote down his number and address in my journal and went downstairs to put the phone book away to find Eric bringing the basket of dried clothes upstairs.

"Hey, I'm sorry about my friends," He said, setting the basket down next to the sofa.

"Oh, it's okay," I shrugged. "They seem kind of cool. I mean, that's just how teen boys are. And Donna is cool. Is she coming over for Thanksgiving dinner?"

"She lives next door, so she'll probably be over before with the rest of the guys," He said. "If you want to join us, you can, but I'm sure Laurie wants to hang out with you."

"Eric, I have to listen to your sister _every day_ at school," I laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I love her like family, but damn I need a break sometimes. Between her and Kate… Anyways, its fun to listen to the stupid stuff that comes out of your friends' mouths. Especially Kelso. But, I feel bad for Jackie…"

He chuckled, "You shouldn't. She's kind of…."

"A bitch? I could tell. But still."

Before he could respond, Fez came bolting into the living room. I couldn't believe he was still here; it was getting pretty late. I knew I wouldn't have been able to get away with this at his age, even if mom had been around.

"Eric, Eric," The boy had such a prominent accent. If only I could tell what kind… "Kelso and Hyde are fighting and now the table has a crack in it."

"Oh shit," Eric sighed. "Well, I'll catch you later, Claire."

"Goodnight," I waved and wandered upstairs, chuckling to myself at the absurdity.

Needless to say, I waited patiently for Laurie to get home so that she could tell me the details of her rendezvous. It neared eleven when she finally arrived home – thankfully, she made it before her mother returned. Without knocking, she barged into the bedroom.

"Oh, he was horrible, Claire," She huffed.

"So, no sex?" I asked, setting down my book on Eric's side table that was littered with dice and cards.

"No, that's the thing," She began. "We had sex. But he wasn't good. And it was awkward. I mean, I'm sure Kelso would be better at it and he's still in high school."

"Kelso?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Just an analogy," She stated. "I mean, you can't deny he is attractive."

"Yeah, if you like golden retrievers. He's a doofus."

"Laurie, please don't tell me you've…" I trailed off, not wanting to even finish.

"No, of course not," She said. "At least not _yet_ …. Hey, don't look at me like that, I get bored. I'm sure you'd go for one of Eric's friends if any of them were actually attractive."

My mind wandered back to the encounter I had with Sunglasses in the basement, but before I could think too long about it, I shook it away. _Never in his wildest dreams_ , I thought.

"Whatever," I shrugged. "I really want to go to sleep, girl."

She sighed, "Fine, mom'll be home soon anyways. Speaking of which, is the laundry done?"

I nodded, "Eric set it in the living room."

"You got Eric to do it?" She gasped.

"Well, I did half of it until I got annoyed being down there."

"Damn, girl, you should come over more often."

I chuckled, "We'll see, I guess."

She was about to leave when she turned and remembered, "Did you call your dad?"

I sighed, "No, but I found him… I'll um… call before we leave on Saturday."

"You better."

She shut the door on the way out. I finished the chapter she interrupted and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: So I messed up the timeline a bit but I don't really care :)_

"How's school?" Mr. Forman asked Laurie as I made my way into the kitchen the next morning.

She grinned and looked up from the bread she was crumbling into stuffing, "Oh, well I've decided to major in philosophy."

"Oh! That's good because they just decided to open that new philosophy factory in Greenbay," Eric said casually.

I suppressed a chuckle and sat beside Laurie as Mr. Forman walked over to his son.

"Eric," He sighed. "What did I tell you about being funny?"

"I'm not?" He answered.

Mr. Forman smiled, "That's right. Now, sweep the garage."

That was when I tuned them out and looked to Laurie.

"Sleep nice in Eric's nerd cave?" She asked, smirking.

"Oh don't you know it," I laughed. "Do you have any coffee?"

"Of course!" She perked up, standing to walk over to turn on the coffee maker. I walked over with her. Mrs. Forman was just getting off the phone, disgruntled.

"Yknow, I could've married Bill Bower," She picked up her finished celery and peanut butter and handed one to Laurie. "His mother was dead."

Laurie bit into her celery before starting half a pot of coffee and grabbing out mugs.

"Do you want a celery stick, dear?" She looked at me. It seemed her mood perked when she noticed that Laurie began brewing coffee.

I smiled. I didn't exactly like celery, but peanut butter was good.

"I've never tried it before together, so sure," I said.

"You've never tried them?" She asked, shocked, as I grabbed one from the pile.

I shrugged, "My brother and I made a lot of our own stuff growing up. My mother was really awesome, but not domestic."

" _Was_?" She asked, before realizing. "Oh, oh! I'm sorry, dearie."

"No, it's really fine. I've been living with my aunt and uncle for the past few years. My brother's been in New York with my dad – we never really got along, but at least he never hated Coop like he did me. I got blamed for a lot as a child, being the oldest. But, I'm over it, so don't worry."

"No, you're not," Laurie muttered, pouring me and Mrs. Forman a cup of coffee. She retrieved the sugar out of the cabinet and put it in front of me.

"Thanks," I chose to ignore her comment. I _was_ over it.

Okay, maybe I wasn't. But I'd be damned if anyone saw me emotional.

"You know who she reminds me of, Laurie?" Mrs. Forman asked.

"Hmm?" Laurie humored her, smirking and sitting back at the table with her coffee. I walked over to join her once I stirred in the sugar.

"Steven," She said.

"Who's Steven?" I inquired.

"Oh, yknow that hippie loser Eric hangs out with," Laurie said.

"Oh, Hyde? He seems kind of like a jerk," I said.

"Oh, he's just misunderstood. He comes from a troubled family, too, yknow." Mrs. Forman defended. "Oh, sorry, I don't mean it like that!"

I told her not to worry about it, although I did wonder what she meant by Hyde. It made sense that he was a bit standoffish. I was standoffish to most people. Laurie was one of the few people bitchy enough to be my friend.

The remainder of the morning included drinking coffee and talking about random subjects with Mrs. Forman and Laurie. After a while, Mr. Forman came back inside and made himself a cup, standing in front of the fridge and not really talking to anyone; he seemed annoyed for some reason although no one questioned it. Not long after, Hyde, Kelso, and Fez made their way up the stairs and all stood around Mr. Forman with expectant looks on their faces.

"Don't you have homes?" He sighed.

"Um…." They all made uncomfortable noises and looked at their feet.

"Whatever," He shrugged it off.

Mrs. Forman left to go fix her makeup, Laurie following in pursuit.

"Y'all having fun standing there?" I laughed. Mr. Forman seemed to be getting annoyed with them.

"Just thought we'd let the lovebirds talk," Hyde shrugged.

"Why? What did Eric do?" Mr. Forman asked.

Before anyone could answer, Donna came up the stairs.

"You wanna talk?" Hyde tried to ask as she stormed out of the house. "Guess not."

"What did Eric do?" Mr. Forman repeated.

"Oh, he said he had the hots for Claire," Kelso giggled.

"What the hell?!" I asked, standing up, shocked.

"Good grief," Red sighed, walking out of the room, even more irked than when he entered.

Once he was out of earsight, I said, "Eww!"

The gang laughed.

"He's such a whore," Fez said through giggles.

"I actually thought he'd make a good friend, too," I said.

Kelso grinned, "I'll be your friend."

"Oh, me too!" Fez added.

"I'm indifferent," Hyde shrugged.

I chuckled, "Nah, I don't really want to be friends with immature high school boys."

"But you just said–" Kelso began, the look on his face priceless.

I interrupted, "I'm kidding. Look, don't tell Laurie I talk to you idiots – I have a rep to keep back at Uni. Anyways," I got a napkin from the counter and pulled a pen out of my pocket, writing down the number to my dorm. "Here's our dorm number for when I go back. If Laurie or Kate pick up, hang up. We don't have caller ID. Oh, and don't leave messages."

I debated who to hand it to, before giving it to the person who wanted it the least: Hyde. He smirked and pocketed the number, much to Kelso and Fez's disappointment.

"May I also have a copy of your number, Claire?" Fez asked in a way that almost made me give it to him.

Instead, I shrugged and before leaving the kitchen said, "Guess you three will have to share. Although, if Donna doesn't hate me, I'll probably give her a copy."

"What about Jackie?" Kelso asked expectantly.

"In your dreams, Kelso."

We – and by we I mean me and The Formans – were all sitting around the dining room table in prayer; Thanksgiving dinner sat in front of us, looking absolutely breathtaking. I'd never had a real Thanksgiving – our family usually opted for Boston Market when we could afford it, which were only the years when Coop and I were really young.

"Amen," Mr. Forman said. "Let's eat."

"Now, Red, I feel like we're forgetting something important…"

The phone chimed.

"Oh my god, Red, we forgot your mother!"

She ran to answer the phone as Laurie and Eric bolted out the door. Her bullshit excuse seemed to work because soon she was off the phone and sitting back down, hyperventilating.

"She hates me," Mrs. Forman sighed, before pulling out and lighting a cigarette.

"Oh, Kitty…" Mr. Forman began, but didn't know what to say.

The next twenty minutes included Mr. Forman and me discussing my major – he thought that a business major was a smart move, even though we both agreed it was boring as hell, and Mrs. Forman smoking half a pack of smokes.

"You don't smoke like Laurie, do you dear?"

Mr. Forman sighed. He treated Laurie so well and she walked all over him.

"No, Mrs. Forman," I said. "I honestly probably would, but I'm in a band and my singing voice means a lot to me."

"Good," Mr. Forman said. "Laurie needs good influences in her life. Speaking of which, how's she doing in school?"

I looked at Mrs. Forman with a look that said 'I don't want to say.'

"Oh, just tell us, _please_ ," She sighed. "We won't tell her we know."

"Well, I might," Mr. Forman said. His wife gave him a look and he said. "I won't."

"Well, I'm naturally good at school, so I don't really have to study much. With the time that I'm not at band practice, I've offered to help her with her studies…. Look, she isn't failing, necessarily. She just needs to work harder – or change her major to something simpler. Philosophy is great, but I don't think she has the mind for it…. No offense."

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Forman said.

Not long after, the two siblings walked back in the house, discarding their coats at the door and sitting down.

"Where's Grandma?" Mr. Forman asked, setting his beer down, staring at Laurie expectantly.

"Said she was going to Cousin Joel's," She shrugged and began putting food on her plate.

"Actually, she said that it was a shame that she might not be able to spend what might be her last Thanksgiving with family," Eric said, following in Laurie's footsteps and digging in.

"Well, that's fine… I don't need to kiss some old lady' on my holiday," Mrs. Forman said casually, putting out her cigarette. "You know what I spelled."


	5. Chapter 5

The dessert party that followed Thanksgiving was pretty fun – well, fun meaning it was the first time I'd had pie in over four years. Mrs. Forman made a pecan pie and an apple pie; Mrs. Pinciotti brought over a key lime and chocolate chip. I was currently eating the chocolate chip, but I really wanted to try the pecan pie as well. I was eating slowly in hopes of having room for seconds.

Laurie didn't want pie, or to deal with people, so she went into the garage to smoke without her parents knowing. This left me to sit with Fez, who equally enjoyed sweets. We talked a bit, but there wasn't much substance.

"Oh, come on, Twix are way better than Sugar Babies," I argued.

"No, you are so wrong, Claire," Fez huffed.

"Oh, come on, I'm not the one in love with her!" I heard Hyde yell across the room as Donna retreated out of the house. "Whatever."

"What's his problem?" I asked Fez.

Fez shrugged and walked off, presumably to get more pie, leaving me alone at the bottom of the staircase.

"Hey, you want pecan pie?" Hyde came up, taking me by surprise.

I grinned, "I'd love some, but I can't even finish this piece."

"Well, here, swap with me," He took the plate of chocolate chip pie from me and swapped it out for his.

"What? You're not afraid of cooties?" I laughed as he sat next to me.

"Nah," He smirked. "Cooties are hot, man."

"Whatever you say, hippie."

"Hey, don't act like I didn't see that Zeppelin shirt you were wearing this morning," He teased.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever, Steven."

"Damn, we're on a first name basis now, Claire?" He laughed, standing up. "Maybe I will give you a call sometime."

"Doesn't mean I'll answer," I smirked.

"Oh, you'll answer," He said in an odd tone. "I mean, who can resist this?"

"Me," I said flatly. "Look, Hyde, you're a cutie and all, but you're also in high school. I'm a college girl. And, after all, I'm like Laurie, remember?"

Before he could be the first to walk away, I was. It felt victorious… and humorous…. Victoriously Humorous. I had to admit, I didn't hate him. I didn't hate any of them, even Eric; whatever he felt for me would eventually go away, I mean crushes are stupid anyways.

That night I was helping Mrs. Forman and Laurie clean up. Eric would've helped but his mom said he could go talk to Donna. I really hoped they'd make up. I mean, boys are stupid, but he was still a good kid. And she seemed really rad.

"Mrs. Forman, I loved your pecan pie," I said. "Don't tell Donna's mom, but you beat her out of the park."

"Oh, Laurie, I love her," She giggled. "You're welcome here any time, Claire. Thank you."

The next day Laurie and I did our laundry since Mrs. Forman's laundry machine was free and we could watch TV in the basement while we waited. Given, we had to sit with Eric and his friends, but Donna was around, which meant they made up. She was actually cool to talk to – way better conversationally than any of the guys. I mean, between Kelso's sexual innuendos towards Laurie and Fez's odd out-of-place comments, Eric and Hyde seemed like the only ones with half a brain; yknow half a brain that they shared between each other. Jackie was… not _horribly_ annoying – I'd dealt with worse. However, it was a relief on Saturday when I realized Laurie and I were taking the bus back to school. Well, until Laurie reminded me, of course.

"Call your dad," She insisted, shoving the phone in my hand.

I breathed in, "Okay. I'll be downstairs in five if all goes well."

"'Kay," She said and dragged her suitcase downstairs with her.

I dialed the number, anxiety coursing through each individual finger as they touched the landline. Once it began to ring, I nervously twirled my finger around the yellow cord. I heard the other side pick up.

"Um, hello?"

"Um… hey, dad… it's Claire."

 ** _A_ uthor's Note: I hope y'all are enjoying this thus far. Feel free to leave reviews if youre feeling jazzy :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"Claire?" I heard my dad's graveled, weathered voice on the other side. "What do you want? Money? A place to stay?"

He sounded aggravated. He wasn't always like this which meant he was intoxicated. He could still be hostile when he was sober, but not as much. Although, last I remembered, he was a raging alcoholic. I took a deep breath, trying to not cry, before speaking.

"No, I kind of just wanted to hear your voice… and Coopys," I said, tears welling up in my eyes, blurring my vision.

"Well, Cooper isn't here and you've heard my voice, so throw out my number and leave us the hell alone," He was always worse when he was drunk – which was most of the time. No wonder Cooper wasn't home at nine in the morning. If he was the same Coop I knew, he was afraid of when dad got hostile.

I couldn't say another word, I simply hung up. I put his number in my pocket, grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs.

"How'd it go?" Laurie asked.

I looked at my feet, "Fine. Can we just go?"

"Yeah, we just have to wait for Eric. He's driving us since my parents are busy today."

I nodded, "Sounds good."

Laurie was the first one on the bus, eager to get away from her brother. I stayed behind for a minute.

"Hey, um, I hope you don't make things awkward," I chuckled. "I mean, I think you're cool, but I just met you and I kind of want to be friends with Donna."

He laughed, "Oh, don't worry. Look, I'm sorry. I said something and the guys blew it out of proportion and I freaked out and…"

"Eric it's okay," I assured. "Listen, I don't have any paper on me right now, but I gave Hyde my dorm number. Feel free to give it to Donna if he doesn't."

"Wait, you gave Hyde your number?" He asked, taken aback.

"Well, it was either him or Kelso," I laughed, stepping on the bus. "Who would you rather give it to? See ya, Eric!"

He waved and I walked onto the bus, finding my seat next to Laurie.

"Please don't tell me you have a thing for my brother," She insisted.

"Ew, don't make me puke, Laurie," I gagged. "He's just a nice kid. You don't give him enough credit."

"You didn't grow up with him," She pointed out.

"Good point," I agreed. "Damn, I'm so happy to get back to school."

I didn't care about it for the classes, but the people. And my band.

"I'm not."

We both laughed.

"Kate, we're home," Laurie called out as I pushed open the door, carrying both of our suitcases. "Kate?"

I went to set the suitcases in our bedroom. Laurie and I shared one of the rooms; Kate had the other to herself since sometimes her boyfriend would stay over.

"She left a note on the fridge," Laurie called out from the kitchen. "Says she decided to extend her vacation and will be back on Tuesday. Damn lucky girl, her classes don't start until Wednesday. Mine start tomorrow."

"Mine too," I said, joining her. "I guess that leaves us to get shit done. Um, I can go to the market if you'll make sure there's nothing moldy in the fridge and that our sheets are clean-ish."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine."

"You know, you're always more hostile when you get back from spending time with your family," I stated. "It kind of worries me, girl."

"I don't know," She shrugged. "It's probably because I hate being home."

"I don't understand why," I explained.

She sighed and walked off. I took that as her not wanting to talk, grabbed my keys, and took off to the store. The walk wasn't far on foot, maybe about a mile; usually, I'd walk there and take the bus or a cab back to our dormitory. On my walks, I would observe the wildlife, since there seemed to be an abundance of birds and squirrels. They would usually stray if I got close to them, so I'd learned to stay on the path. Today, I counted how many red birds there were.

Five. Less than I usually saw, but it could be because it was an overcast day.

My shopping was fairly easy. I grabbed the essentials: bread, eggs, jam, pasta, milk, and a few boxes of cereal. No, it wasn't a great selection, but between the small amount Kate chipped in and the cash I earned from school organized gigs, that left Laurie to pay for the bulk of it. I felt bad; Kate didn't. Although, Kate ate miniscule amounts anyways, so Laurie and I didn't really care. And, I'd usually make it up to Laurie by doing most chores in the house and doing her homework for her. I think the only reason she was staying afloat was because of the participation points my work would give her. The professors knew she wasn't the one doing it, but thankfully, they gave her grades for them anyways.

I wasn't entirely honest with her parents. She was flunking. She was banging her teacher. She was doing any and everything she could to not get kicked out. I guess I was in a pretty similar situation, but mine was because my financial aid was running dry even with my good grades and my aunt and uncle didn't want to help support me, even though I knew they had the funds. Once I was eighteen, I was no longer anyone's burden anymore. I knew they'd let me at least live with them again, if I needed it – they weren't cruel. I would just have to work my ass off and help pay bills. I was trying to avoid that.

Eventually, I made it back home, put all the groceries away, called my band mates and scheduled a meet up after classes on Wednesday, and went to bed. I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to my 8 AM.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Yo so nobody corrected me about what I did wrong. i considered redoing the chapter but I already spent time on it and its not really a serious project so we're just gonna pretend that these events happen now instead of later so like whatever if you have a discrepancy write a review. also, the next chapter will be posted in like... 2 hours or less_

I woke up to my alarm around six the next morning. Laurie was still asleep, so I bolted to take the first shower – well bolted meaning dragged my lifeless body out of bed, made said bed, and stood under hot water for ten minutes until I felt clean. By the time I was out and dressed, Laurie was stirring awake. Once my hair was done blow drying, it was six thirty and I went into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.

"Well, shit," I sighed, noticing we only had enough ground coffee left for this morning.

"What's wrong?" Laurie asked, joining me in the kitchen and sitting at the bar.

"It's our last day worth of coffee; Kate's going to have a fit," I said.

"Kate doesn't pay for shit anyways," She pointed out. "And besides, we have tea. That care package my mom sent back in October still has a box of ' _Spooky_ _Chai'_ in it."

Her mother had sent us a personalized box for Halloween full of candy, hot cocoa, and assorted teas since we were too old to trick or treat and she felt bad. She is such a lovely woman – I was so happy that I'd been able to actually meet her over break.

I ended up just using the rest of the coffee, since Laurie and I both needed it anyways. We didn't have to leave for the bus until 7:40 because the bus station was two minutes away and took ten minutes to get us to our destination. That left us with a few minutes to talk and eat toast.

"What time do you get out of classes today?" She inquired, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Two," I said. "But, after that I have to go to the gym. Do you want to join me?" I offered.

She laughed. "We both know you don't want to go and we both know I don't want to go."

"Yeah, well obviously, I don't want to go but it's either that or go back to skipping meals, Laurie," I sighed. "Even with all the coffee I drink, I've been gaining weight and it sucks. We're not all stick thin like you."

"Hey, why do you think I smoke?" She asked. "Literally, the only time I ever eat is when you see me eat. Why do you think we get by on so little? I mean, Kate usually gets her boyfriend to take her out to breakfast or dinner on any odd day, so that counts her mostly out."

"You know I'd smoke if I could," I sighed.

"Why can't you?" She asked. "Then you'd sound like Janis Joplin. And everyone loves her."

I thought about it for a moment, "Maybe you're right…"

The remainder of the day went by in a blur. Same with Tuesday, the only highlight being the reappearance of Kate. It was uneventful, until band practice on Wednesday evening. I met up with my band mates, Jack, Christopher, and Mallory, at our local bar. They'd let us use the back room to practice sometimes. It was cool.

"So, I have a proposition," I began, at the end of rehearsal.

"Okay?" Jack said.

"What's up?" Mallory asked.

"What if I started smoking?" I asked.

"But it would ruin our sound, man," Christopher argued.

"No, wait listen," I insisted. "Janis smokes. Every good rocker smokes. It would _improve_ our sound."

"Hmm, but are your lungs really worth it?" Jack asked.

"Oh don't be such a girl, Jack," Mallory insisted. "I think we should try it. And I mean it's always reversible, right?"

"Totally!" Christopher cheered.

"I mean, maybe," I said. "I think…"

That night on my way back to my dorm, I used what little money I'd scraped from the gig to buy my first pack of cigs and lit one for the walk home. It wasn't pleasant, but I didn't feel like eating dinner that night.

About two weeks after Thanksgiving, Laurie received a call from her mother telling her that her grandmother died and she had to come down for the funeral. She asked if I wanted to go with her, but I told her that I was too busy and couldn't afford to miss two days of class; she was fine with going since she'd be missing an exam that she refused to prepare for.

The only downside was being left with Kate. It was a Thursday and Laurie wouldn't be home until Sunday afternoon. I knew it could be worse and I knew I could get away with staying cooped up in my bedroom for most of the time I was home. I was able to get through the two school days fairly easy, Kate and I only interacting over breakfast; she wasn't home for dinner and usually arrived home after I'd turned in for the night, though I didn't complain since she was quiet.

Listen, I didn't hate Kate, she was just annoying. She was quiet in a weird way, but more manipulative than Laurie. Laurie seemed to like her, though, so I usually just kept my grievances to myself unless Kate stole my hair dryer – which happened from time to time.

It wasn't until Saturday evening that something noteworthy happened. The landline rang to our dorm. It never rang, which surprised me. I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, who is this?" The guy asked.

I almost laughed, "Um, Claire – listen, if you're trying to get with Laurie, she's out for–"

"Oh, chill, hey Claire," I recognized the voice. I assumed it was one of the guys after remembering that I'd given them my number. I just couldn't tell who it was.

"I'm sorry, which one are you?" After he laughed I could tell, and I said, "Oh, hey, Steven… wait, why are you calling me?"

"You said I could, _doll face,_ " He said.

" _Haha, very funny_ , but why?" I asked.

"Well, if you must know, Eric's been a bummer since he thinks he killed his grandma and I got sick of listening to Jackie and Kelso bicker like two old women, so I went home early and now I'm bored and out of beer."

"Wait, hold it," I said, intrigued. "Eric killed his grandmother?"

"Thinks he did," He reiterated. "It was just her time, man. I mean, she was old."

"True, but what happened?" I inquired.

"I don't know, man," He began. "He said he was driving her home, yelling at her and telling her how much of a shit person she is and then she just died on him."

"Oh my god, she died _on_ him? That's traumatizing," I stated.

"I guess," He said. "So, what are you up to?"

"I'm just studying," I said.

"Studying? On a Saturday night? Only losers study on Saturdays." He insisted. "You know, Jackie does her homework on Saturdays. And nobody wants to be like her."

"Well, I have band practice on Sundays and Wednesdays, so I can't study for my Monday exam tomorrow," I explained. "I usually wouldn't be but it's finals week; next week begins our month of break."

"Oh yeah, Christmas is coming up soon," He muttered.

"What, you don't like the holidays?" I asked.

"You wouldn't get it, so it doesn't matter," He seemed upset. He couldn't hide behind his glasses over the phone.

"Try me," I said.

"My dad left a while ago and my mom threatens to leave every week," He sighed. "I don't exactly have a loving family. So holidays kind of suck. I mean, the Forman's make me do shit with them, but it's not the same."

"I understand the feeling," I empathized.

"No, you really don't," He insisted. "Look, I've got to go."

"My mom died when I was a teenager," I said. "And my dad took my brother away to New York. Last time I called him, he was drunk and told me to throw away his number. So, Steven, I understand how you feel. It fucking sucks… I've got to go, too. Goodnight."

Before he could say anything else, I hung up. Maybe Mrs. Forman was right. Maybe we were similar.


	8. Chapter 8

"Please come spend Christmas with us, Claire," Laurie practically begged. "If you want to leave before break is over, that's fine, but Christmas is always so hectic and maybe having you around will make things easier for me."

"I don't want to impose on your family again," I insisted.

It was the same deal as last month. Laurie and I were packing our bags and bickering. I knew my aunt didn't really want me to stay the full vacation, but she would be willing to have me there for a week and then I could scrap up some money to stay in a motel for the rest of my time off. Or, I could go with Laurie's pleads and see where it takes me. But I doubted they wanted me to stay again; she was probably pitying me.

"If you don't say yes, I'm telling Kate that you think she's ugly and fat," Laurie threatened.

"Ooh, a threat," I giggled. "Well played. I guess I have no choice, then, unless I want to wake up with my hair cut off."

.

Thus, it was settled, I was to spend Christmas break with them. The bus was slower than usual due to holiday traffic, however, once the Forman's picked us up, the ride was much quicker.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're joining us," Mrs. Forman cheered as her husband tried his best to ignore our conversation, keeping his eyes on the road. Eric wasn't with us so it was him vs. three females. It probably intimidated him. Hell, I'd be intimidated too.

.

"So, Laurie," Mrs. Forman began. We were all gathered around the table, making small doughnuts. "Seeing anyone special at college?"

"Nah, I like to date around," Laurie grinned, picking at her food.

Eric coughed loudly behind us, " _Slut_!"

Mrs. Forman sighed, "Bless you."

"Thanks mom," Eric replied nonchalantly.

"What about you, dear?" She turned to me.

I laughed, "I considered it for a bit, but I'm not really good with people. I prefer to spend my time with my band. And anyways, if my grades drop below an A minus, I lose my scholarship and financial aid."

"You're such a nerd, Claire," Laurie teased.

"I think it's commendable," Mr. Forman nodded his head towards me. "You could learn something from her, sweetheart."

"Hey, uh, dad, I was thinking instead of your party this year, maybe I could throw a party in the basement?" Eric interjected.

"Fine," Mr. Forman replied, biting into his doughnut hole.

"Fine?" The Forman ladies were utterly baffled.

I simply looked at Eric in pity. He was obviously still treated like the baby by most of the household. It probably bothered him.

Her husband shrugged, "All he ever does is mope around here like it's the end of the world anyways."

Eric grinned, "Alright, thanks, dad."

Mrs. Forman stood up with her plate full of dusted sugary powder, "So now who will sing the high parts on the little drummer boy?"

"Oh, mom, Claire can," Laurie suggested.

My eyes widened, "Christmas songs? I don't know."

"Aw, yes, Claire, will you do it?" Mrs. Forman asked.

I smiled at her, feeling guilted, "Um, sure, yeah, why not?"

"Um, yeah, dad one more thing about the party," Eric said. "I need some money."

Mr Forman stood up, grabbing his wallet, "Alright, Eric, I want you to pick out this year's tree. And whatever you don't spend, you can use for your party."

Eric tried to argue about how much he hated haggling, but his dad forced forty dollars into his hand anyways. When Eric tried to insist upon fifty, Mr. Forman got annoyed with him.

"Pick out a good one," He insisted.

When Mrs. Forman started to lecture Eric about a good party requiring cookies and punch was when Laurie and I refilled our mugs with cocoa and ran into the living room to watch a Christmas movie.

"Eric's going to steal a tree, isn't he?" I asked.

"Oh, of course he is," She laughed. "Did you see that fight he put up with dad? Oh, I can't wait to see the trouble he gets in."

.

Upon hearing the commotion of Eric's vista cruiser pull back into the driveway, Laurie and I rushed out to see what he got. What we saw was Eric and Kelso wrestling with the tree while Hyde leaned against the car, looking from afar.

"Oh, you did _not_ get this from a lot," Laurie grinned. "You stole it."

Eric looked like a deer in headlights. I almost felt bad, but I was also morally opposed to stealing trees off the side of the road.

"I haggled," He said.

"With who, Smokey the Bear?" I asked.

"You stole it," Laurie rolled her eyes.

"You're one to talk, you're flunking out of college," Eric said.

Laurie turned to me, "You didn't."

I shook my head, "Never."

"How'd you know?"

"I didn't."

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Would you both can it?" I insisted. "Come on, Laurie."

We left the boys to deal with bringing the tree inside while we went to finish our movie.

While Laurie was dragged into hanging ornaments with her mother, I accidently ended up having to listen to Jackie – and her groupies – tell Kelso to drive her around so she could 'give gifts to the bums.' Before I ended up leaving of boredom, Hyde walked up and grabbed two sodas out of the fridge, handing me one.

"Hey, I need your opinion on something," He said.

"What's up?"

He lowered his voice, eyeing the idiots around the kitchen table, "I want to get a gift for Donna, but I've only got six bucks."

"Hmm, that's a toughie," I shrugged. "Oh wait."

I pulled a five out of my pocket, "I mean, I usually would say get something sentimental, but with eleven dollars you could actually buy her like, I don't know… perfume or a shirt or something."

"Damn, the idea her mom gave me was twelve bucks," He said.

I shrugged, "That's all I've got; hope it helps."

Before I could retreat into the living room where Laurie and Mrs. Forman were, he grabbed my arm.

"Um, thanks," He said.

"No problem," I grinned.


	9. Chapter 9

"Back from the store, Mrs. Forman," I smiled as Laurie and I sat our bags down on the table.

Laurie grinned devilishly and walked over to the punch bowl.

"No, that's for Eric's party," She insisted, shoving tonic in Laurie's hands. "Here why don't you take this out to the bar?" She turned to me. "Can you go with her and make sure that there's enough rum and vodka for tonight?"

I nodded and followed Laurie into the living room.

"You know the plan, right?" She asked as she put the tonic into the bar.

I grinned, "Do I know the plan? Of course I do."

I grabbed a nice fat bottle of rum and snuck into the now empty kitchen with Laurie.

"Merry Christmas," She cackled as I poured it into the punch bowl.

Oh, I was so excited to try it later. And to see the chaos that would ensue.

I got rid of the bottle as Mrs. Forman was walking back in. "Laurie, could you and Claire bring down the juice and cookies?"

"Of course, mom," Laurie smiled widely. I grabbed the cookie tray and ran down, Laurie following behind.

"Oh, no," Eric sighed. "I told her not to."

"Oh, come on, the least you could do is drink it!" Laurie insisted as we set our items down on the coffee table.

As soon as Kelso heard that it was just us, he emerged – running, might I add – from the back room. Nearly tripping over the sofa, he stared at both of us.

"Um, hello Laurie, Claire," He looked like a deer in headlights.

"Kelso," We both said at the same time.

"So, um, cool," He said.

Thankfully, he was interrupted by Fez who barged in, eyeing the cookies and juice.

"Ooh, punch," He smiled.

"Yeah, can I pour you some?" Laurie asked. She was going a little heavy; if they weren't idiots, I would assume they'd become suspicious. Only Donna raised an eyebrow from the corner, but refrained from saying anything

"No," Fez began. "But if you'd like you can bend over and put my gifts under the tree."

She shook her head and I laughed. Kelso looked confused, his eyes darting from Fez to Laurie. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hyde come out of the same back room that Kelso emerged from moments before.

"Gifts!" Kelso exclaimed. "I thought we said no gifts."

All I heard in that statement was that he was going to have a pissed off girlfriend who probably had something for him.

"No, _you_ said no gifts," Eric grinned, wagging his finger in Kelso's direction.

"Yeah, what's Christmas without gifts?" Donna added.

"Yeah, man, where's your heart?" Hyde asked from atop the washer.

Kelso mumbled something about getting a gift for Jackie before leaving.

"You two were giving each other weird eyes, Laurie," I said quietly, hoping nobody would hear.

"Yeah, that's 'cause she's a slut," Hyde said.

"Hippie," Laurie sneered.

"Whore," Hyde said coolly.

"I'm going upstairs," Laurie announced. "Coming, Claire?"

"I'll be up in a few," I said, sitting on the couch.

Once Laurie left, Hyde hopped off the washer and sat in his chair next to the couch.

"So, are you going to be at the party upstairs, or the one down here?" He asked.

I shrugged, "I'll probably be upstairs for a bit – y'know, till Mrs. Forman gets tipsy, and then hightail it down here and get drunk off the punch." It took me a minute to realize what I said. "Oh shit, disregard that."

"What did you two spike the punch?" He snickered.

"Who is spiking?" Fez asked from across the room.

"Nothing, Fez," We both said too quickly.

I looked around; Eric and Donna were in the corner, ignoring us and Fez just looked confused before walking out the door.

"I wouldn't think of you as the rebellious type," He said.

I laughed.

"So, little rebel, I'm going to go have a cigarette if you want to join me," He stood up, walking out.

I weighed my options. I'd chickened out after the first one I had, so I still had most of a pack left. I could totally do it, couldn't I? I mean what was the worst that could happen? I scurried outside into the cold and joined him, pulling the pack out of my sweater's pocket and sticking one between my lips. I grabbed for my lighter before realizing I'd left it in Laurie's room – this time I was bunking with her, which was better for me and Eric's sake.

"Shit," I sighed.

"Don't worry, rebel," He chuckled as he held the lighter to light my cig.

"Cool, thanks," I said, trying to hold back a cough; the smoke was intense. "So, did you end up getting Donna something nice?"

"Actually, I talked to Fez and I realized I shouldn't go overboard since Eric really likes her, so I ended up getting her something sentimental," He shrugged. "Used the cash for someone else."

"Aww, I think she'll love something sentimental, Hyde," I said.

"Yeah, well, when I went home earlier, I found this picture of us from when we were kids and I bought a cheap frame to put it in," He said.

We smoked for a minute in quiet. When I heard steps approaching, I quickly put out my cigarette, and, before running back inside, said, "See you tonight."

.

I left Mrs. Forman's party to find three blondes huddled up on the couch, drinking punch and caressing Fez. It made me want to gag and laugh all at the same time. I went to sit on the dryer, nearby Hyde, Donna, and Eric. Jackie scurried over to Fez, entranced by the liquor as well.

"I'm so happy you spiked the punch," Hyde turned to me, smiling. "This is better than TV."

"Is that why they're acting so stupid?" Donna looked at me, surprised.

I shrugged.

Kelso barged into the basement, gift in hand, eyes searching for Jackie.

"Jackie, this is for you!"

She got way too excited over hot rollers. I didn't understand girls and curling their hair. I just let mine lay wavy. It seemed pointless to put that much time and pain into your hair.

.

I was forced to be witness to Eric trying to one up Hyde's gift by giving Donna her favorite perfume and it was cringey enough to make me want to leave the party, but before I could go upstairs, Hyde stopped me.

"Hey, um, I got you something," He said.

"What?" I was confused.

"In the back room, come on."

I followed him into a room that held a bookcase and a few boxes. It looked recently cleaned out; probably where the Forman's stored their Christmas décor. He presented me with a decent sized wrapped gift. As I opened it, he said:

"It's kind of stupid, but Fez told me that you really like candy and I found this big bag at the store and –"

"Steven, this is great," I smiled. "Thank you."

I gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. Before I could move my face away, he captured my lips in his. Shocked by this, I didn't move.

Once it was over, he said, "Um, sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"No, I mean, it's alright, but just, um," I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what I felt. I didn't really feel anything but at the same time, I wondered if I did. But, I didn't know him for long. It was all so odd it made me dizzy.

"Alright, party's _over_!" Mr. Forman yelled from afar.

I almost left the storage room, when Hyde grabbed my arm, "Don't. Let Eric take the fall, let the party clear out, then we can go help clean up."

I nodded.

After there was only silence, we walked into the basement to see Eric alone on the couch, holding an ID bracelet between his hands.

"Donna got you tube socks," He stated, upset.

"Look, Forman, we're here to help you clean, do you want the help or not?" Hyde asked.

"After you apologize for getting Donna a better gift than I got her," He grumbled, standing up.

"Look, man, all I did was give her a damn photo," He said, getting annoyed.

"It's not a big deal, Eric," I insisted. "Dude, Donna really likes you. I can tell; it's a girl thing."

"Uh huh, whatever, clean the basement yourself," He said, walking outside.

"What the hell this isn't even my house!" Hyde yelled out, although Eric couldn't hear him through the door.

I grabbed the wrapping paper off the ground, "Might as well not make Eric get in any worse trouble."

"True," He sighed, helping me clean up the trash.

"Dammit!"

"What?" Hyde looked alarmed.

"I forgot to try the punch." We both laughed.


End file.
